Something True
by JeDorsToutLeTemps
Summary: Birthday present for thetourguidebarbie, who asked for Original Hybrid Caroline. ""You vikings, you hate wolves. If they knew, I have no doubt that I would be killed. Even if I could manage to run, I would be hunted. You would be hunted. I don't want to live that way," she said, devolving into tears." Warnings inside, rated for smut.


**Happy birthday, thetourguidebarbie! The p** **rompt she gave me was: "Caroline is one of the werewolves** **in the werewolf village thing so there are two original hybrids** **".**

 **I don't really remember how the timeline of their turning happened, so that might be a little messed up, but I got most of the main points in. Actually that goes for everything. I tried to hit all the main points leading up to the hybrid ritual, but it's been a hot minute since I watched the show and I probably forgot one or two.**

 **I didn't mean for this to get as long as it is, but am I really complaining? Nope.**

 **Warnings: child abuse, attempted smut, canon and non-canon character deaths, angst, suicidal hallucinations from the Hunter's Curse, relationship issues.**

* * *

 **986**

The first time Niklaus Mikaelson crossed the Falls was when he was very young, only six years old. He'd been told he was never to cross the stream, and yet, he did. It brought a high he would chase for the rest of his life - the high of doing something bad. He would be punished for it, but he didn't care. He liked being bad, defying Father. A beating wouldn't take away from this feeling.

He walked for a long time, on as straight a path he could make. He noticed that there wasn't a difference in those trees, that he could've been walking in the one behind his home. Rabbits and squirrels skittered around, hiding from him.

He was still walking, not feeling particularly worried about his being alone, when he realized he was being watched. The feeling wasn't like when a deer or rabbit watched him; no, it was different. Like he was the prey, his brain supplied. Like when Father watched him return home.

He wanted to shake it off, dismiss it as his mind playing tricks on him. But he couldn't - if the gaze felt like it was coming from Father, like it was spelling danger, then he couldn't write it off.

Niklaus made himself continue on, hoping to buy some time so he could do...something. Anything to make sure he lived.

That was shot to Hel when a little girl popped into his path.

She was probably not much younger than him, with long blonde hair tied back into a braid, and piercing blue eyes that stared at him almost boredly. Her outfit - a dress and pants - suggested she wasn't a viking.

She didn't seem like a threat, not really. But he'd seen the people of surrounding tribes, and the most dangerous always seemed bored. He'd also seen bison look like they had much better things to do than get hunted down just before they struck.

"Who are you," she demanded, saying the Norse words with little difficulty.

He drew himself to his full height (not very impressive at six, no, but he was still taller than her by a half inch). He'd seen Father do it enough times successfully that he was sure he'd intimidate her. "Niklaus Mikaelson," he said. "Who are _you_?"

"Caroline," she replied, eyes watching him move and not seeming the slightest bit scared. He shifted on his feet, and she inched forward. He had no real idea how to harm another person, just fish and animals. But if she touched him, he would strike back. He wouldn't let her hurt him.

"What are you doing here?" She asked. "Surely you must have a purpose for crossing over into the land of my alpha, Ansel."

Ansel? He had no idea who Ansel was, nor that this was his land. The word 'alpha' also didn't make any sense to him.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, deciding not to say that he was, quite obviously, walking and she should've been able to see that. "Who is Ansel?"

She scoffed, raising an eyebrow challengingly. "Everyone knows who Ansel is."

"...I don't."

She glared, "well then, you're an idiot!"

He opened his mouth to refute that - he was smarter than Kol and Rebekah combined, thank you very much - but he was cut off by a man entering the area they occupied. Caroline, when she saw him, shrunk down a little, became submissive. Niklaus froze, still at his full height.

He did not know this man, or this girl, and he was alone. Elijah's voice rang in his head telling him that he must do as Caroline did, since she seemed to know the man. Father's voice said the opposite, telling him he must kill them both to protect himself.

Niklaus loved nothing more than defying his father. And in his mind, Elijah knew all. So he did what Elijah would want. He submitted, lowering his head and looking down.

The man said, in a low voice that soothed Niklaus' very soul, "Caroline, run along, now. I will send him back home."

She looked back up, any submission to the man gone. Shock and dismay widened her eyes as they shared a look Niklaus couldn't read. "Yes, Ansel. … Is he - ?"

"Yes," the man, Ansel, said. "He is. Now, as I said, return home. Your parents are very worried about you."

She sighed, but ran towards where Niklaus supposed she came. Ansel watched her go, and so did Niklaus. She was odd, mean. But she was very...what word could he use that was polite? Interesting. She was _interesting_. He hoped she didn't come upon anything dangerous in the forest, that she returned home unharmed.

(Wait, why was he thinking that? Mikaelsons didn't care about the wellbeing of others. Niklaus didn't care if she got home safely or not. He _didn't_.)

He was left with the man, who looked more like the native peoples than Caroline had. He smiled, and little dips formed by his mouth, like when Niklaus himself smiled.

"Hello, Niklaus," he said, moving closer. Niklaus shrinked back, fearful of Ansel. If Ansel was anything like Father…. "You have wandered too far from home."

"How do you know," he snapped, feeling very much like he was missing something.

Ansel just kept smiling. "You are from the tribe of vikings. Vikings don't come this way unless they are lost."

"I'm not lost," Niklaus countered petulantly.

"Maybe not, but you are definitely too far from home. I will walk you back to the Falls."

Niklaus hesitantly allowed the man to rest a hand on his back and gently push him along the way he'd come. He was horribly confused - Ansel was treating him like how the dogs treated their pups. He was being nicer than any adult had ever been to Niklaus.

Tense and unsure, Niklaus tried to make the situation a little easier. He talked.

"Is Caroline your daughter?"

Ansel shook his head. "No, she is not. I am her alpha, her leader."

They continued on a little longer, without speaking. Again, Niklaus wondered what an alpha was.

Then - "Why did you come here, Niklaus?"

Suddenly, the desire to make Father angry seemed like a silly reason to go off alone in the forest. He said, bashfully, "I wanted to see what was on this side of the Falls."

Ansel hummed. "You shouldn't have come." He watched as Niklaus blinked up at him, unsure again. "You are welcome on my land, of course. No one will hurt you here. But you should stay on your side of the stream, understand? You must stay over there."

"But - why?" Mother and Father had said the same thing. He was to always stay far away from the tribe on the other side of the Falls. No one had ever told him why he was to keep away. Ansel was clearly far from his 'anti-comforting' father, and Niklaus was sure he would tell him why.

Ansel sighed. "You are too young to understand, Niklaus. A boy must stay with his mother. That is all I will say."

Niklaus grew angry with the secrecy (he'd had such high hopes Ansel would tell him), but Ansel moved towards the trees before he could demand the truth. "What are you doing?" He demanded, on uneven footing. Ansel seemed to know much more about him than the other way around. And now he was off doing Odin knows what.

Ansel shushed him, crouching low in between two trees. He faced away from Niklaus, body tense. Niklaus realized quickly that Ansel was hunting something...but what? He had no weapons. How could he hunt without weapons?

Ansel jumped forward, and Niklaus watched, awed, as a medium-sized buck was taken down by Ansel's hands. The buck's neck was snapped swiftly; Niklaus flinched. Father was right, he was no hunter. Death made him feel sick to his stomach.

Ansel brought the carcass onto the path. "You will bring this home with you," he said. "You will tell your parents that you did this. Not me. They cannot know that you came here, Niklaus, nor that you met me."

Niklaus asked, just to say something, "what about Caroline?"

Ansel shook his head. "No."

They didn't speak much more until they got to the stream. Admittedly, Niklaus didn't know what to say to Ansel. The man was kind to him but killed with ease. He was too much for Niklaus to be able to understand.

"This is where I leave you," Ansel said. He tugged at Niklaus' clothes and tucked his hair into his shirt. "Remember. You are safe here, no one else. Just you."

"Okay," Niklaus said, agreeing so he could leave. Ansel was making him uncomfortable with the words he was saying.

He didn't wait for Ansel to say more, he just jumped in and swam to his side. When he resurfaced, Ansel was gone and the buck was not far from him.

Ansel must've thrown it. How odd, that he was strong enough to do such a thing.

He went home, dragging the buck behind him. Father was pleased, but not enough to not beat him for straying too close to the Falls.

 **[...]**

A few weeks later, Niklaus sat on the edge of the Falls, closer to the actual waterfall.

Finn and Elijah were out hunting, and Finn had told Niklaus to try fishing. Any meat counted, after all. Even meat found by Niklaus, the least favorite son.

He was sitting at the shore, stewing in his thoughts. He hadn't been able to get Caroline and Ansel off his mind like he had hoped; no amount of playing games with Kol and Rebekah or carving into tree bark could make him forget them. Every time they left his thoughts, something made them snap right back.

It was frustrating, for sure. He aggressively stabbed a sharp-pointed stick into the water, barely missing a fish.

A splash sounded, not made by him, causing his head to jerk up.

Surprise struck him as he came face to face with Caroline. She was stomping through the stream, making the fish flee quickly. He glared at her for scaring away his only chance of not getting beat, but she just raised an eyebrow like she didn't care.

He stood quickly, weapon in hand. Ansel had told him no one would hurt him, but he was taking no chances. Especially with Caroline, who he remembered was a kind of dangerous he stood no chance against.

"Oh, put that down," she commanded irritably. "I have come to give you news, that's all."

"What news?" He snapped back, just as irritated. His spear did not lower.

"I've been chosen," she said proudly. "Some people in my tribe have a life-mate, and Ansel chose me to be yours! He said we are extremely compatible." Her last two words were fumbled.

"Life-mate?"

She huffed, clearly thinking he was stupid again. "Yes. But listen, that's not the point. As your life-mate, I am bound to protecting you, being near you. Next time we see each other, I'm going to do something and you _have_ to go along with it or I will make you look mad in front of your whole village."

Confused did not do what Niklaus was feeling justice. Both of the two people from the other side of the Falls confused him in ways not even Kol's ever-shifting emotions did. The words they said, their actions, the way he was treated…. He couldn't even begin to explain any of it. It was better to just go along with them, he was seeing.

"Fine," he said. He spun around in frustration (what was it with these people and secrecy?), and all that was left of her was a splash and a shadow. He didn't even bother to try to explain _that_ to himself. What good what it have done?

 **[...]**

The next time Niklaus saw Caroline, she was in a dress, no pants underneath. Her hair was down and streaked with twigs and leaves. Tears lined her face (his heart jumped into his throat at the sight but he didn't know why).

"Help me, please, help me!" She shrieked, falling to her knees at tugging at people's clothes. Everyone was struggling to see her, the little girl who was screaming and crying. "My parents are dead. The wolves killed them!"

Mother and Ayana, the healers, cut their way through the crowd to get to her. Finn was barely tall enough that Niklaus and his siblings could follow behind him and get to the middle, but they managed it.

Mother pet Caroline's hair, letting the girl cry into her stomach. Caroline's fingers clenched in Mother's dress, and she sobbed, "please help me, please…."

Ayana and then Mother whispered something Niklaus didn't quite catch. Caroline calmed, looking between the women. "Really? Can you?"

"I suppose," said Mother. She looked back to Father, who stood warily near them. They communicated silently; again, Niklaus could never read those kinds of looks.

Father nodded slightly. Niklaus could read that, at least - bodies were easy to read, minds weren't.

"You can stay with my family and myself," Mother told Caroline. Everyone around breathed a sigh of relief; they wouldn't have to take in a child. "We have a daughter, though she's quite a bit younger than you."

Caroline cried, happily now. "That's fine. Thank you, thank you. After the wolves...I never thought I'd get to be part of a family again."

Everyone around Niklaus seemed to well with empathy. He wasn't sure why - surely they could see the devious glint in Caroline's eyes? Surely they could see through her ruse?

His eyes caught Caroline's. Her eyes hardened some, so he pressed a finger to his lips. Her smile, already so wide at being accepted into a home, got bigger. She was happy with him, he realized. He'd gone along with her plan, he was staying quiet, and she was happy.

That smile was the first one he ever learned to read.

* * *

 **990**

"Do you trust me?" She'd asked.

Niklaus had, perhaps foolishly, said yes.

Yes, he did trust her. She was secretive and much stronger than she should be and very odd. But he did trust her, so what she did, he did as well. Usually, he didn't regret it.

That night, he did.

It was a full moon, meaning they needed to be in the caves. Caroline never went with them in the caves, always finding them the next morning saying she'd stayed in a small one by herself. That night, he found out that that was far from the truth.

Caroline, instead of hiding in the caves, hid up trees.

"Yes, I trust you," Niklaus had said.

"Good," she'd replied and then dragged him up the white oak.

Hours later, as wolves circled the tree, he said, "this is the worst idea you have ever had."

She laughed, waving down at a blonde wolf. It brayed loudly, making Niklaus flinch. "No it's not. It can't be my worst idea if I didn't think of it in the first place."

Pressed up against the trunk, he gave her a look. "What do you mean? You didn't think of this?"

She shook her head. "No, this was Ansel's idea. He wanted to see you again. Plus my parents miss me a lot."

He had an idea of what she meant, but only a hazy one. Ansel had left his thoughts some time ago, her parents had never really entered them in the first place, and the idea that she may be one of the wolf people was one he'd been pondering since they met. This only proved it. He'd been taught to hate the wolves, but Caroline was his best friend. How could he hate her?

"Are they down there?"

"Yes. The blonde one there, that's my mother. The dark haired one is my father and the big one with reddish hair is Ansel." The one she said was Ansel barked; she turned to him, out on a limb of the tree. "He wants you to wave to him, Nik."

Cautiously, Niklaus moved onto the branch next to Caroline's. He waved, asking, "why does he want me to wave to him?"

Caroline's fingers twirled in her hair as she said, "I'm not sure."

 **[...]**

When morning came, Mother cried and cried as they met up. Elijah, Rebekah, and Henrik shouted at them angrily for scaring them all night long. Finn and Kol didn't let them out of their sights.

Father was not worried or happy. No, he was angry. He stomped up to them, circled them like a hawk, glared like they'd killed his goat.

"Where were you two last night?" He demanded.

Caroline said quickly, "we were in my small cave, the one I always go to. We lost track of time getting some berries, and we had to hurry. It was too dark for Niklaus to go to your cave, so he stayed with me. We are sorry." She dropped her head, "we didn't mean to scare you."

"Niklaus?" Father questioned tightly.

"She speaks the truth, Father. We were in the caves all night."

Father eyed them both skeptically, before finally saying, "Niklaus, you shouldn't have let her stay out late, you foolish boy. You could have gotten her killed!"

He lunged forward; Niklaus knew better than to jerk back.

Before his fist came in contact with Niklaus' face, however, Caroline was in between them, back to Niklaus. "Please, this was my fault. He told me we had to go but I didn't listen. I was going to go by myself, so he went to make sure I wasn't alone with the wolves." Tears sprung to her eyes, "when we realized what time it was, I started to cry, remembering that night…."

A sob tore through her, head falling to her hands. Mother and Rebekah both rushed to hug her, soothe her tears. Over her shoulder, Mother told Father, "don't punish them this time, Mikael. She's been through enough."

When no one was looking, Caroline winked at him. Niklaus bit his lip and smiled at her, gratitude leaving him in waves.

She was always saving him. Gods above, she was perfect.

* * *

 **996**

Caroline was angry. He knew she was angry, and to be perfectly honest, he was angry too.

Kol, his idiot brother, decided to do a spell that would reveal a person's darkest secret. (Newsflash, everyone, Elijah and Rebekah can't stand Father either.) He'd almost hit Caroline with the spell, which would have surely let everyone know that her parents were alive across the Falls, that she was lying to all but Niklaus.

So yes, Caroline was angry. Caroline's anger seeped into him like rain into his clothes - it made his own anger get worse. She said it was because they were life-mates, because her people (and Niklaus', she'd implied; she rarely said "my people") had anger that was sharp, all consuming. When they (he included) got angry, there was no way to stop being angry.

" _Not until...not until you take the final leap_ ," she'd whispered to him once when they were ten and eleven.

" _What's the final leap?_ "

She'd given him a look like she didn't want him to know, like it would hurt him too much. He didn't like being coddled but then, she knew him better than anyone else. If she thought it would hurt him, then he trusted her judgement. " _I don't know_ ," she'd finally said. He'd read the lie in the way her fingers curled in a lock of her hair. He'd never commented on it, never asked again. But he was starting to think he might soon. He wasn't a little boy anymore - he could handle anything she threw at him.

"I'll kill him," she growled, pacing around like she was caged. "Your parents cannot know, Nik, they can't!"

He didn't know quite how to soothe her - Rebekah was easy, but Caroline was impossible, much like Kol. She didn't always want hugs, or touch, or platitudes. Sometimes she wanted space, or for him to be there silently.

"If they knew," she continued, "then they would kill me, or worse, force me to leave you. Your father would kill you if he knew the truth!" She continued to mutter frantically under her breath. He wasn't sure why she thought Father would actually kill him for lying, but that wasn't what caught his attention.

His heart clenched at the thought of ever being separated from her. Already, a marriage was in talks. Father saw them as the son who could offer nothing and the orphan girl who he didn't want. She could offer something to him, yes, but she was too snappy and attached to Niklaus for anyone else to be seriously interested in marrying her. Honestly, they'd always kind of known they would get married.

But that was far from what Niklaus wanted to focus on right then.

He stepped towards her, reaching out to grip her shoulders. He pressed his fingers into her muscles, and she stopped, looked at him, tears welling in her eyes. He'd known her for ten years now, and she'd cried maybe three times apart from her performances. Once when Kol fell out of a tree and nearly cracked his head open, once when Father nearly beat him to death, and once when she'd returned from visiting her family at the Falls. Now she cried because she was scared to lose him.

"Caroline, it's alright. Don't cry, _min kjære_. We won't lose each other."

"You don't understand, Nik." She huffed out a wobbly breath. "Do you remember that final leap I told you about?"

He nodded, pulling her closer to his body. She was shaking.

"It's killing someone, Niklaus. You kill someone and then, on the full moons, you turn into a wolf." Niklaus' mouth drops open. He knew of the wolves, of course. But he had no idea about the first part. "You vikings, you hate wolves. If they knew, I have no doubt that I would be killed. Even if I could manage to run, I would be hunted. _You_ would be hunted. I don't want to live that way," she said, devolving into tears. Her hands landed solidly on his chest, and she crushed herself to him. "You always want us to split up when we play chasing games, but if life-mates are forced apart, we could _die_."

Niklaus knew very little about life-mates. She refused to tell him anything except that it was something vikings would never understand. But the fear in her eyes he did know. He also knew he wouldn't stand for it.

One hand went to her head, ducking it into the crook of his neck. The other went to her waist. It was an intimate embrace they found themselves in, but he enjoyed it too much to let go.

He shushed her cries, reassured over and over that she wouldn't lose him. They wouldn't be separated, they wouldn't die. He wouldn't allow it.

She forced them to sit. She landed in his lap, chest to chest, and though he found nothing enjoyable about her tears, her body was a different story. He pushed the flashes of thoughts and images away, focused on soothing her.

Eventually she calmed, his words getting through to her. She stopped crying but she didn't move off of him. They sat for some time, relaxed. In truth, Niklaus felt more at peace than he ever had before.

It was getting dark by the time they finally went home.

 **[...]**

Niklaus woke the next morning to hands shaking him awake. His eyes flew open and he tensed in a panic, but once he saw it was Caroline, he relaxed back into his blankets.

"What is it," he rasped. A distant part of his brain noticed that Caroline was straddling him again, long hair curtaining their faces. "Is something wrong?"

"No," she shook her head, making her hair tickle his cheeks. "I have something I want to show you. We have to go now or we'll run out of time."

He made a confused noise in the back of his throat. She sighed at him and his eternal confusion - which was in no way his fault since it was she who refused to explain things - before sliding off his lap. A blush rose in his cheeks at the realization that, in his sleep, he'd grown hard and she'd surely felt it.

He dressed quickly once she'd turned around. Then he followed her back to the spot they'd been at the day before.

"What are we doing here?" He asked once she'd sat them down. They sat cross legged, like the nearby tribe of natives, with her so close that their knees touched.

"I want to show you something," she repeated herself. "It's something the wolf-people do, and I think that you will quite enjoy it." Nervously, she rubbed her palms on her thighs, over her dress. "Vikings, you see, they fight when they are emotional. Wolf-people do many things when they are emotional, not just fighting. What I want to show you is something life-mates sometimes do when they are upset…."

Curiosity burned under his skin. He realized she was embarrassed, so he comfortingly held her hands in his own. "What is it?"

Caroline started and stopped several times, before she made a frustrated sound. "Just- I'll show you," she said.

Then she flopped onto her back and pulled him on top of her. Her legs wrapped around his waist, dress falling down so it pooled around her hips.

He bit off a gasp, body reacting to hers instantly. She wasn't wearing any undergarments, and all that separated them was his pants, his very _thin_ pants. He could feel everything, and he was sure she could as well.

"Caroline - "

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down even more so their noses were touching. "Nik, it's okay. We - "

"Caroline," he ground out. "We can't do this. You can't be ruined, not before marriage." Desperately, he tried to move out of her embrace. Being so close to her was making him want to stop caring about the laws of the land and go along with whatever she was showing him. He couldn't allow that to happen, though. If someone found out (and they all would; Kol was too perceptive and had a big mouth), her reputation would be ruined. Surely she knew that. (Surely she too could hear Elijah's scolding voice telling both them and his younger siblings that a woman's chances of marriage after sex were zero. It couldn't be just him. Right?)

Caroline tugged him back down, looked him right in the eyes. "Niklaus."

He stilled. "What?"

"You trust me, I know you do. So trust me with this as well," she implored. Reluctantly, thinking about how she did everything she could to keep them out of trouble, he nodded. She sighed with relief. "I know I haven't said much about life-mates, but one day, I will explain everything and it will all make sense. For now, I can only say that wolf-people are far less strict about laying with someone before marriage, especially if those in question are life-mates. There are ways we can do this without my ruination," she added, almost pled. "Please understand, Niklaus, after yesterday...I am worried that your parents will find out. And I cannot be forced from you without having done this at least once."

Niklaus settled on top of her, trying not to put all of his weight on her. Sighing a little, he conceded slowly, "I understand. I suppose I am willing to do this, so long as I don't ruin you." He wouldn't let himself. He couldn't ruin her chances on the off chance she married someone other than him.

Her smile, so bright and happy, made his worries wash away.

"You will enjoy this, I promise," she said before pressing her lips to his own. A jolt went through him, making something inside him awaken.

He'd never kissed anyone before, had only the faintest idea of what it was. He still didn't, but he did know that he never wanted to kiss anyone else ever again.

Caroline's lips against his own, her tongue peeking out, it was Valhalla. She was soft and sweet and making a little noise in her throat that he wanted to hear more of. Like a man possessed, he put as much passion into the kiss as he could. She pressed up against him, breasts flattening against his chest. One of her hands went to his hair while the other went to the small of his back.

Without thinking, his own hand moved to her back, keeping her where she was. He wanted her as close as possible.

"Mmm," she moaned, pulling her mouth away from his.

"What do I do now?" He panted out, not resisting the baser urge to kiss his jaw and throat.

"Like this," she said, pushing at his hips. With her guidance, his body moved up and down hers, the focal point being their nether regions. His clothed cock rested in between her folds. The friction, Niklaus decided, was true Valhalla. The kissing was good but not nearly _this_ good.

Caroline threw her head back, hips moving with his. She pulled his down for another kiss as their bodies rocked.

The kiss ended when she pulled away again, this time to say, "take your pants off."

He stilled his hips, images running through his mind that he knew couldn't come to fruition. "Caroline, we can't - "

"We won't, _min kjære_ , we won't. Just take them off." They made eye contact, and he could see a plea there, an urging for him to trust her.

He trusted her with his life; how could he not after years of helping him deal with Father's abuse? He sat up on his knees and pulled his pants down enough for his cock to spring out.

Caroline watched, red blooming in her cheeks. "Come here."

He moved back down on top of her, both gasping as skin touched skin. Their arms wrapped around each other easily, like they'd been doing this for years. She moved her hips again, and the slide was a hundred times easier, even with a little bump at the top.

"Oh my gods," Caroline moaned. "Do that again."

He did happily, only getting more and more aroused at the feeling of wet, soft skin.

They rocked for a while, sometimes muttering things to each other, moaning, or kissing. Niklaus never wanted it to stop.

Eventually, like all good things, it did. Niklaus felt something in him snap, like a string being flicked. His body jerked, come spurting out onto Caroline's bare stomach.

Before he could blink, Caroline reached down to touch it. She sucked her finger into her mouth, humming.

"I didn't know it would taste like that," she muttered, licking her lips, nearly killing him with the image. Then, clearly trying to murder him, she brought down the same finger down between her thighs.

He watched, transfixed, as she rubbed herself until she was shaking and moaning again.

When she opened her eyes, she giggled. "What? Don't tell me you've never…."

With a quiet laugh, he shrugged. "I won't lie to you, Caroline."

She laughed, the hilarity of the thankfully not awkward aftermath making him join in. He settled back on top of her as they shook with laughs, feeling extremely comfortable.

Eventually, their giggles died out and they were left lying in the grass, wrapped around each other.

"We should do this again," Caroline decided.

"Tomorrow," he agreed.

 **[...]**

They were married that year, after several months of barely resisting the urge to go all the way.

Their first night together was fantastic. Being in a real bed, with the thought ' _wifewifewife_ ' running through his head on repeat made everything better. Plus the fact that he finally got to slide into her, got to feel her contract around him, made him once again change the definition of Valhalla. Nothing, absolutely nothing, was better than being inside of his wife.

When he told her, she giggled. "I quite like you being inside me, as well," she said, back turned to him."It's very...how do I put this... _enjoyable_." She turned slightly to give him a wicked grin.

As was usually the case, she was dragging him somewhere and had neglected to tell him just where that somewhere would be.

It wasn't until they came upon the Falls that Niklaus got it.

On the other side stood Ansel and Caroline's family. Ansel looked older, of course, tired. He was far from the young man who helped Niklaus feed his family that day ten years before. In comparison, Caroline's parents looked like they never aged. He'd only met them once, and they'd looked the exact same. Caroline's (much younger) siblings, Aki and Ingrid, had aged accordingly.

Caroline and her family rushed forward to meet in the water, splashing around and scaring the fish away. Aki and Ingrid tugged at Caroline's dress and tried to pry her attention away from their parents.

Ansel watched with a smile on his face. Niklaus, too, watched, overjoyed for his wife. Many times, she'd told him of how she missed them terribly.

Caroline turned, reached out for him. "Come on, Niklaus."

He went willingly, of course, stepping into the water and greeting his wife's family. Caroline's mother hugged him, saying, "we always knew this would happen. You are a good boy."

He blushed. Every time he saw the wolf-people, they had something nice to say to him.

Luckily, Aki spoke, allowing him to evade answering. "Ansel, come see!"

Ansel shook his head sadly. "No, my boy, I can't."

Aki replied, "we'll go to you, then."

Ingrid and Caroline dashed forward with him happily, hugging and chattering away with Ansel on the land opposite of the stream. Niklaus followed, surprised when Ansel pulled him into a hug.

"It's good to see you, Niklaus. Congratulations on getting married." He clapped Niklaus on the back.

"Thank you," he said politely. The unease Ansel had brought last time Niklaus crossed the Falls had come back with a vengeance.

Ingrid tugged him down so they could talk, and Niklaus missed the wistful look on Ansel's face. He didn't miss the quiet talk he and Caroline had, however.

Later, when he asked, she looked at him with tears in her eyes and her fingers in her curls. "It was nothing, Niklaus, don't worry."

* * *

 **1001**

That fateful night, Henrik begged to see the wolves.

Niklaus said yes. Caroline said, "you're both idiots." She followed them to the tree, despite her reservations, and insisted that Henrik stay as close to the trunk as possible.

Henrik was much too curious for that, so he moved onto a branch. The branch was one that was too flimsy to hold any weight, but he didn't realize. He creeped onto it, leaning over to see better.

The branch snapped.

Niklaus lunged to grab his brother, any part of him, but Henrik slipped through his fingers.

The wolves barked and yipped, forming a circle around Henrik.

Caroline jumped down, landing hard. She growled at the wolves, most of whom turned tail and ran. Ansel, he noticed as he frantically slid down the trunk, stayed.

By the time he got to the bottom, Henrik was dying. He'd hit his head. Blood was pooling under him; Ansel sniffed it, fur standing on end.

By the time he and Caroline got back to the village, the sun was up, and Henrik was dead in his arms.

 **[...]**

Niklaus technically died a few days later.

In his heart, his soul, he died as soon as Henrik took his last gasping breath, hot air puffed against his big brother's neck.

Caroline tried to console him, she really did. She told him endlessly that it wasn't his fault. She held him, brushed his hair from his eyes, cooked his favorite meals, let him use her body.

It did no good.

After a few days, Mother called them all home. She said they would toast to Henrik, and gave them all wine.

Then Father was killing them and he was sorry to say that his grief was the least of his worries.

 **[...]**

He was so hungry. His hunger pounded in his ears and made him go mad.

He knew his hunger for human blood - all because Mother couldn't handle losing another child; she pointedly looked him in the eyes as she said it - was wrong, was awful. It was evil.

But he was so hungry.

He stood shakily, moving to the door in an instant. His head spun as he leaned up against the wall.

His family saw what was going on, saw what he was doing.

"Don't," Finn and Elijah said, though he knew their hunger was just as bad.

"Boy - " Father started.

Caroline warned, "Niklaus, you will regret it if you go out there." She tried to tug him away from the door but he pushed her away. She flashed black eyes and long incisors at him. They were beautiful, in an odd sort of way. She looked like an animal, and something deep inside Niklaus found that attractive. But he had more important things on his mind, like hunger.

Niklaus left. He found a young man not far from the home, all alone with blood rushing through his veins. It was all too easy to stop him, press him up against a tree, hand covering the man's open mouth.

Fangs left gums and pierced skin.

Blood, he was finding, was perhaps more delicious than Caroline.

He took another gulp.

Sorry, dear wife, but nothing was quite as delectable as the blood, the high of doing something bad.

 **[...]**

Caroline was sitting on him, shaking him. That was the first thing he noticed. Then, his surroundings took place - the forest. Only after could he hear what Caroline was saying.

"Wake up! Wake up, Niklaus!"

He groaned, sitting up. "What is it? What happened?"

Caroline's face was ashen. Tears made streaks down her cheeks, and her hair was full of twigs and dirt. "Niklaus, listen to me, something happened last night that - "

"Niklaus!" Elijah's voice boomed from far away. As he got closer, Niklaus could hear every step he took.

Caroline whispered, "Niklaus - "

Elijah stepped into the small clearing Niklaus and his wife were in. A blush rose in his cheeks; Niklaus wanted to roll his eyes at his brother's faux innocence. He threw clothes at them before turning around.

They dressed quickly. Caroline said, "Elijah, please, let me tell him. He needs to hear it from me."

Elijah sighed, looked between them. "Fine. But be quick, Father is on a rampage."

"Thank you," she said, and he parted ways with them. As soon as he was out of sight, Caroline pressed her body up against his. He was hard within seconds; she looked down like she noticed but spoke before he could do anything about it. "Niklaus, do you remember the final leap I told you about some time ago?"

"Yes, killing someone and becoming a wolf," he nodded.

She sighed, bit her lip. In a whisper, she said, "last night, we took the final leap."

Niklaus stilled. "What?"

"You killed someone, _min kjære_. I did too...I couldn't let you be alone. Mikael saw us turn. He's very angry, Niklaus. We have to...we have to run."

 _You vikings, you hate wolves. If they knew, I have no doubt that I would be killed. Even if I could manage to run, I would be hunted._ You _would be hunted. I don't want to live that way._

A jolt ripped through him. Something he'd only felt when speaking with Ansel or when he was in bed with Caroline opened it's eyes and growled. He and his wife were in danger. His siblings, too.

"Has Father gotten any of us yet?"

Caroline looked at him, confused. It took only a moment for what he meant to dawn on her. "Niklaus...no. We are the only ones. You and I are the only wolf-people in your family. You can finally know."

"Know what?" He demanded sharply, pulling away.

She blinked, shocked. They never pulled away from each other. After a moment, her back straightened. She looked a lot like that little girl he'd met years before. Tough as steel and taking no prisoners. "Mikael is not your father; Ansel is."

He stared at her, too overwhelmed to move.

"Ansel has known since you were born. Mikael had no idea until last night. The power to become a wolf, it's passed down from parent to child. And since none of the others turned, it couldn't be from Esther. I'm so sorry, Nik, that you have to find out this way. I, we never thought you would find out like this."

He breathed out heavily.

Mikael was not his father. Ansel was. He was a wolf-person. His wife had known all along and kept it from him.

He'd killed someone.

Niklaus could only say he was not impulsive when he was lying.

He ran away.

 **[...]**

Ansel's chest was covered in blood. Blood ran down his face and neck from his hairline and nose and mouth.

Niklaus felt like he was going to vomit. The smell was so overwhelming.

Death was all around him. Every person who'd lived in the wolves' village was dead. Father - Mikael - had killed them.

He felt sick and dead and angry and empty. He was crying. He could do nothing but sit and stare.

Caroline found him after what felt like hours. She crashed into the clearing Mikael had left Ansel's body in, heaving out breaths like she'd been running.

"Niklaus! Oh my gods, Niklaus," she wailed, coming to sit beside him. She draped herself over him, and though he was angry with her for lying to him, he pulled her into his lap. She hid her head in the crook of his neck, unable to look at Ansel's body.

She was lucky. Niklaus couldn't look away.

"I found my family," she sobbed, body heaving. "He killed my parents and Ingrid. Aki...I can't find him. I can't find anyone still living."

He held her close, rubbed her back. His anger towards her trickled away. She was suffering, just as he was. She'd only been a child. She probably hadn't decided to leave her family and lie to him the way she did. She'd apologized.

"Shh, Caroline, shh. It's okay. I'm sorry, I'm sorry…."

 **[...]**

Being bound to one nature - the dead one - was a kind of hell Niklaus hated.

Worse was the godsdamned bloodlust.

He and his family burned the white oak tree down and then ran. They had to get away from their father (not Mother; he'd killed her for what she did to Caroline and himself), from what few people remained from their village.

They left for the Old World, which they swiftly realized was an awful idea. They lasted maybe two days before their bloodlust commanded they kill.

Caroline cried as she drained the lookout.

* * *

 **1166**

" _You let them die, Niklaus! Henrik, Ingrid, Malachi, Keilah, Elisabeth, all of them! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have died. I could have been normal,_ " Caroline spit at him.

Henrik said, " _I miss you, Nik. I don't blame you. I miss you so much. Please, I want to see you again. If you die, we can be together again…_."

A knock on the door made his head pound.

Somewhere nearby, Mother cackled at his pain. " _Poor little Niklaus, does your head hurt?_ "

"Niklaus?" A voice called. It wasn't Caroline, Henrik, Mother, Ansel. It wasn't a voice he could recall. The door opened to reveal all of his siblings, even Finn.

Caroline was front and center. She was staring at him, eyes wide. A breath caught in his throat. Gods, why did she have to be so beautiful? Why did she have to use her wiles against him, make him believe this was truly her?

"Get out!" He roared, slamming a fist into the wall.

"We can't," Elijah said apologetically. "We've found out good news, brother."

"Don't you want to hear it?" Rebekah asked gently.

"No," he moaned, dragging fingers through his hair. He didn't want to hear anything. He especially did not want to hear another of his siblings' attempts at help. He wanted everyone to go away, leave him in peace.

Caroline sat in his lap, tugged his fingers away. " _Don't listen to them, Nik, they're lying to you. Whatever they say to you is not true._ "

Niklaus shook his head, glaring at Caroline. "Shut up!"

She gasped, a hand on her hip. "Excuse me?"

"Stop trying to turn me again my family! All of you, just stop!"

Kol sighed, pulling Caroline away. "Let's go, darling, he's hallucinating you again."

Caroline took his proffered arm, but not before making eye contact with Niklaus. There were tears in her eyes.

" _I'm sad you haven't killed yourself yet,_ " she cursed at him, swiftly leaving with Kol.

He yelled and lunged towards the door.

Elijah grabbed him, threw him against the wall. He struggled, attempted to punch Elijah right in his backstabbing face. Elijah easily overpowered him, however, squeezing and pressing Niklaus' wrists to the wall.

"A new Hunter has just made his first supernatural kill," Rebekah said, voice faux strong. "When you wake up, you should be better. That's what the witches say."

"Wake up?" Niklaus asked slowly, anger lacing his words. That sounded like a threat to his muddled brain.

"Yes," Elijah said decisively, snapping his neck before he could say anything.

 **[...]**

Niklaus often woke up to find Caroline watching him. He loved waking up to her, loved rolling on top of her and making love to her. The past 52 years, 4 months, and 9 days, however, he hated it. Waking up to Caroline meant her lectures, her anger, her hatred for him.

When he woke up from Elijah snapping his neck, she wasn't yelling at him. She was touching his face with gentle fingers, watching him warily.

"Are you still hallucinating?" Her voice was a whisper, soft and so different from the way she'd spoke just earlier.

He looked around. Henrik, Mother, Tatia, all of the people he could have saved, they were gone. It was just Caroline and he in a bedroom he hardly remembered.

"Caroline?" He whispered back, turning to his side. He rested his hand on her neck, felt her swallow. "Are you really here?"

Tears slipped from her closed eyes. "Yes, I'm here, my love. I'm here."

Against his will, he sobbed. It had been so long without her, without her comfort and her love. It had been so long without her being kind and caring. Her words were like a salve for his broken heart.

"Shh, Nik, it's okay. It's over, it's okay."

He let her put his head to her breast, let her pet his head and shush his cries. He hated feeling so vulnerable, but for her, he would do or feel anything.

* * *

 **1491**

Caroline, his beloved wife, sighed as loudly as she could when she sat on the bed.

"What is it now?" He demanded.

"Don't you take that tone with me, Niklaus Mikaelson," she snapped, glaring at him. "I'm already angry with you for what you're doing to that poor girl, you don't need to make it worse for yourself."

"'Poor girl'? Caroline, that _harlot_ is far from innocent."

"She wants sex, yes, how dare she," she countered. "How dare she want to live, hmm? You're right, Klaus, we should kill her viciously - "

"It would be a ritual, Caroline, not some senseless killing! I thought you wanted this," he ground out in frustration. She was acting like they were killing the King or something. "I thought you wanted to be a werewolf again."

"I do," she cried, throwing her hands up. "I do, trust me. But not at this cost!"

"Caroline," he laughed after a moment. "You're being foolish. Katerina Petrova's life is worth nothing. There is no cost, as you say. And even if there were, you are worth so much more than her."

She stared at him, mouth agape. Her fists clenched at her sides, much to his amusement. Was she so sure of this girl's worth that she would fight him over it? Was she so stubborn as to believe that one life was worth more than her happiness?

"I disagree," she finally bit out.

"Of course," he said easily. She always disagreed with him. Nothing he did was ever something she wanted him to do. His 'of course' was a jab at her, and she, with her infinite intelligence, surely saw that.

With a glare, she flashed at him and pushed him out of the bedroom. He stumbled, catching himself against the wall. "Find somewhere else to sleep," she spit, slamming the door in his face.

Kol peeked around his doorway, snickering. "Nik, making dear Caroline angry with him? How odd."

He growled, throwing a nearby vase at his head.

Kol's cackling rang throughout the whole mansion.

 **[...]**

A few weeks later, Klaus stormed into the mansion, kicking anything in sight.

Caroline sat on the couch, pouring over one of her silly little novels.

"You did this!" He accused. "You helped her get away!"

"Who?" She asked, flicking the page and not even looking at him. Her tone was dry and bored. _Bored_ , he thought angrily. _She's bored while all of my plans for us are falling apart!_

Gods above, he hated when she acted like this. "The doppelganger!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, dear. The last I saw of her, she was in her room."

He growled, attacking the nearest servant. She finally looked up as he drained the pathetic little creature.

"Niklaus, really? Was that really necessary?"

With a cruel smile, he dropped the body. "I have no idea what you're talking about, love."

* * *

 **1825**

Marcellus watched silently as Caroline and Klaus stood off.

"Absolutely not, Caroline, no."

"He's fifteen, Klaus, he's more than old enough."

Klaus sighed shortly at her unspoken, _we were his age when we got married_. "Fine," he gave up, throwing his hands in the air. "But there has to be a chaperone; Marcellus, you can chose between Elijah and Kol, which one would you like?"

Marcellus made a shocked and angry noise. "Papa! That's not fair!"

He shrugged, uncaring. "If you want to go out on a date, then that's what you have to deal with. If you're really as mature as you say, then you will pick one without further complaint."

Caroline said, "why don't I chaperone instead, Marcel?"

"No," Klaus cut in. "We'll go out on our own date. It's been far too long." Nearly a decade, by his count.

Caroline and Marcellus gave his identical looks of disbelief. "You're going to make me take the boring uncle or the mad uncle out on a date with me."

"Yes."

Marcellus glared and huffed. He stormed to his room and slammed the door like any other teenager.

"Klaus, you can't be serious. With Elijah or Kol being chaperone, you know what will happen."

Klaus moved to the kitchen, his wife following soon after. "Yes, I do. Elijah will bore the poor girl to death. Kol will scare her away with his thinly veiled blood addiction. Marcellus will not go out with her again, and eventually, he will get over it."

"Why are you so against this?" She asked, leaning against the counter. The lighting of the kitchen made him itch to paint her. "It can't be his age, or you would've said no the last time. Is it the girl he's chosen?"

He shrugged, making a cup of tea. "Would you like one?"

"Yes," she said, smiling lovingly at him. "This girl, what's her name again? I've forgotten it already."

"Abigail Lemond." He added several drops of blood to each cup before handing hers over. "Daughter of Joseph and Phebe Lemond."

Realization dawned over Caroline's face. "Ah. So you're trying to protect him from a date clearly about the satisfaction of saying 'I went out with Marcellus Mikaelson'. Yes, I see now." Marcellus Mikaelson, the black boy with white parents. Marcellus Mikaelson, the black boy every white girl wanted to go out with just so she could say she went out with the queerest boy in town. Yes, Caroline understood.

He nodded, smiling at her as her intelligence showed through. Marcellus was making him soft, he'd realized some time ago. In a post-childless life, Caroline had become a queen in his eyes. Everything she did, no matter how impulsive or foolish, was amusing in an affectionate way. Her intelligence, her silly jokes, her obsession with clothes, all of it. In the twelfth century, they'd started to rub each other the wrong way; they'd been forced together a touch too long. Their differences caused a wedge to push them apart as time went on, intensifying with the loss of Katerina Petrova.

But now, with Marcellus... He had made them domestic. Kol frequently made vomiting noises at their 'sickly sweet relationship'. A change was all that was needed to put them back into the headspace they'd been when they were newlyweds.

"Are you sure we can't go along, scare away this foolish girl?" She asked, breaking into his thoughts. "We could go on a date at the same place, pretend to be surprised to see them. You know I'm a good actress."

Klaus laughed slightly, shaking his head. She was an amazing actress, and if they did what she wanted, surely Marcellus and Abigail would be convinced. But he had other plans in mind. "Actually, Caroline, when I said 'date', I meant in our bed."

She raised a delicate eyebrow with intrigue. "Oh?"

"Yes; does that interest you?"

She set her cup down gently, "quite."

He flashed to her side, hands falling to her pinched waist. Their bodies molded together instantly, very used to being that close.

He kissed her lovingly, humming when she tugged at his hair.

He was so engrossed with her, he missed Marcellus coming back downstairs. "Oh my god!"

Caroline pulled away just to laugh, but not until Marcellus had run away in disgust.

* * *

 **1922**

Stefan seemed to forget that vampires heard all.

"You should leave him," he drunkenly muttered to Caroline. "I know you're both extremely old and all, which can only mean that it's gotten boring, right? We wouldn't be boring. We'd be great together, don't you think?"

He continued his drunken mumblings. Rebekah, seated next to him, found it quite humorous. Klaus himself felt much more murderous. Some little boy was going after his wife; it was no laughing matter.

They watched Caroline hissed lowly, "I actually quite prefer my husband. He's proven to be less prolific than you, Ripper, which is quite the feat. If you'll excuse me."

She fled Stefan, down the stairs to the cellar. Klaus followed her swiftly, making sure to push Stefan away from the door.

"Hey!" He shouted, but Klaus really had no time to deal with the fool.

" _Forget your attraction to Caroline_ ," he compelled, hissing. " _You respect her and will never go against her, but you do not find her sexually appealing._ "

Stefan repeated Klaus' words, before wandering off.

Klaus pushed through the crowd to get to the door his wife went through.

He found her down a set of steep stairs, in between two tall shelves of alcohol. "About time," she jokingly complained. "Did you kill him?"

He shook his head, "no. However, he will now respect you for the rest of his life." She never wanted him to kill people if he could help it. Help it he could, especially if it would make her happy. So few things did these days, after what happened in New Orleans.

"Mmm, good. I was getting tired of his constant flirting."

"I was as well," he said, moving closer to her. She met him halfway with a kiss. "Did you really mean what you said to him?"

She smiled, a tad confused. "That I prefer you over him? Of course." _Duh_ , she told him though a quirked eyebrow.

He rolled his eyes. "I know that, love. I meant him being more prolific than myself."

"Overall, probably not. But recently, ever since...well, you know. You've toned yourself down quite a bit, while he's been on a streak."

"He's not called Rippah for nothing," he agreed.

She dragged fingertips down his arm. Her grin was small and wicked, telling him exactly what she was thinking. Well, maybe not exactly, but a good approximation. "Do we really want to talk about Stefan, though?"

Talk about the Ripper of Monterrey or do whatever delectable fantasy that was on Caroline's mind? There was no contest.

Five minutes later, with his head up her skirt and her fingers digging into his scalp, he was very glad to say he'd forgotten all about Stefan Salvatore.

* * *

 **2011**

Klaus really hated the body he was in. Caroline did as well, he knew. Her curves didn't fit with this body; she knew nothing of this body. Not to mention how horribly weak this body was. (He could refer to it as nothing else. The body was uncomfortable, and constant reminders that it wasn't truly his let him retain some sanity.)

The only good thing about it was that he could move around town without being suspected.

Case in point: he stepped into the Grill, ostensibly to pick up dinner, and was immediately recognized by Damon Salvatore.

"Hey man!"

"Hey," he said back, ridiculous American accent coming easily. "How ya doing?"

Damon shook his head, took a long sip of his whiskey. "Not too good, really. Another crazy monster-of-the-week is coming after Elena…. Hey, that reminds me - we've got a meeting tonight here, 9 o'clock."

"Gotcha," he replied. Honestly, Klaus would rather scoop his own eyeballs out than go to some meeting with a bunch of children, but information was important. "I'll be there."

Damon smiled and nodded. "Good." He cast his eyes around the room, stopping at the door. He sat up straight abruptly. "Woah."

Klaus turned as well, seeing Caroline waltz in with Ayana's descendant on her arm. Dressed in clothes young girls wore these days, she looked magnificent. Not that Klaus could do anything about that, as he was in Alaric Saltzman, teacher, and she was pretending to be a seventeen year old student.

Oh, curse this wretched body.

Damon stood, "I'm gonna go introduce myself if you know what I mean." He wiggled his eyebrows and was off.

Klaus barely kept in a growl. If he did anything that disrupted the plan, surely Caroline would be angry. The things Caroline did when she was angry with him…. He couldn't allow it to happen.

He listened while he waited for the food.

"Damon Salvatore, and you are?"

"Not interested," Caroline scoffed. The witch giggled, in shock at someone turning down Damon, probably.

Damon was shocked, too, because he hissed, "what? I was just asking for a name. _Tell me your name._ "

"My name is You Can't Compel Me," Caroline countered, much to his and the witch's amusement. "Well, actually, it's Candice Forbes. But You Can't Compel Me has a ring to it that I really like."

"I agree," the witch said mirthfully.

"You're a vampire?" Damon ground out stupidly. Klaus rolled his eyes. How could he be the brother of the Ripper? Surely no one was actually this slow.

Caroline nodded slowly, "yes, an old one at that. I heard Klaus was coming this way, and well, suffice it to say that I have a bone to pick with him."

Damon and the witch made surprised noises. "Candice, I knew you were a vampire, but...how old are you?"

"Six-hundred," she said succinctly. Putting on a teary tone, she added, "Klaus found me a very long time ago, and he did unspeakable things…."

"Like what?" asked the witch, voice soft and caring.

"He killed my family, all because I denied him. He said he wanted me in his bed, and I said no, of course. I'd heard the stories."

"What stories?" Damon asked, hushed.

Caroline fretted. "Oh, I can't say. Not in public, at least…. They're too awful. Anyway, I said no. When I returned home, I found my family slaughtered, my home trashed. He was waiting for me. He said if I denied him again, it would be my entire village. I didn't deny him, and the next day, he killed me."

"Oh my god," the witch said emotionally.

The blonde boy behind the counter handed Klaus his food. "Sorry for the wait, Mr. Saltzman. That'll be $19.88."

Klaus handed the money over, a kind smile on his face. "That's quite alright, Matt."

Behind him, Damon told Caroline, "Candice, you wouldn't mind coming to a meeting tonight, would you? It'll be here, but after it's all closed up for the night. We'd like to hear about these stories of yours."

Caroline said, "fine. But when reality sets in, I don't want any of you backing out. I can get him, especially with the Ripper at my side."

Klaus was just passing by, so he saw the way the witch's and Damon's eyes bugged out.

"The Ripper?" They asked at the same time.

Caroline looked at them like they were nuts. "Yes, the Ripper. He's our best bet. If anyone could tear out Klaus Mikaelson's throat, it would be him."

 **[...]**

Caroline did a bang-up job at the meeting making everyone terrified of him.

She told tales of him murdering freely, told the story of what he did to Katerina. She told many stories that were mostly fabricated (...mostly).

By the end of the meeting, Elena was in tears. "Oh my god," she cried into her hands. "He's gonna kill me. And who knows where Caroline is!"

Stefan rubbed her back. "It's okay, Elena, Rose said - "

"Rose said that they are stuck to each other like glue, Stef," Damon countered. "When Klaus gets here, she's gonna be at his side. Who knows what she'll do?"

Caroline cut in, "I've heard about her, too. Never met her, she was away when Klaus got me, but I know about her. She's kind of like Elijah, but more vicious. She won't kill you if you make her mad, but she will sic Klaus on you. They've had their ups and downs, but he will always do what she tells him to, including kill people who make her mad."

"Ah, shit," Damon cursed.

"What are we supposed to do?" The witch asked.

Klaus shrugged, "don't get on her bad side."

 **[...]**

When Klaus finally got to be back in his own body, he delighted in tormenting Elena.

She was terrified of him, and all of her attempts to best him fell short. Caroline was at the center of it all, leading the gang astray and pretending to hate him.

His beautiful wife had made it so that everyone in the group trusted her. Elena and Bonnie were her "best friends", Matt and Jeremy looked to her for girl advice, Damon and Stefan trusted her to be on their side. Even Alaric liked her, showing pride when she taught the children ways to defend themselves.

And Klaus? Klaus got to antagonize and flirt with her to his heart's content. She got to play the bitter enemy.

It was fun, perhaps more fun than he'd had in a century.

Best of all was when Klaus kidnapped Caroline and the wolf and what happened after.

 **[...]**

Elena was gasping, panting, down on her knees. Unfortunately, Klaus knew she wouldn't die - Caroline simply wouldn't allow it - but seeing her laid so low was delightful. He knew he and Caroline were perhaps the only ones, with everyone else around them - Elijah, the children, Alaric - caring too much about the girl. The only impartial party was Maddox and Gretel, who didn't care either way.

"How could you do this to me, Candice?" She demanded, heart broken.

Caroline shrugged. "I want to be a wolf again? Obviously," she said, taking on the inflections of the children.

Everyone around them gaped. "What?"

"Who the hell are you?" Damon demanded.

"Caroline Mikaelson," she said with a devious smirk, moving around to be at his side. "As in, Klaus Mikaelson's wife."

Elena cried, "oh my god, oh my god."

Caroline rested a hand on Klaus' arm, raising an eyebrow. _Should we tell her?_

He frowned. _No._

She bit her cheek but tilted her head up the tiniest bit.

Klaus noticed that the rest of the people around them watched the interaction closely. Elijah was smiling slightly, always happy to see them being sweet. Stefan and Bonnie were just staring. Elena, Damon, Tyler, the rest, they were all glaring.

"It's almost ready," she said. "Kiss for good luck?" She pursed her lips and quirked her eyebrows. Her accompanying smile was as innocent as it had ever been.

Oh, Caroline was devious.

Gods above, she was sexy when she did things like this.

He tugged her to him by her hips, her giggle smothered by his lips. Her hands rested on his chest. Caroline's tongue very obviously made it's way into his mouth.

Damon made a gagging sound.

Caroline pulled away, shooting a smirk in Damon's direction. She licked her thumb before wiping a lipstick mark off Klaus' lower lip. He couldn't help himself, sucking her thumb into his mouth.

"God!" Damon complained.

"I do love having a peanut gallery," Klaus said dryly, letting Caroline's thumb go.

"Mmm," she agreed. Her eyes dragged upwards, towards their old friend the moon. It was high in the sky, full, beautiful. "It's time."

So it was.

 **[...]**

In the aftermath, Klaus would admit that he didn't remember much of what happened.

The high of his wolf finally being reawakened, of the moon shining down on him, it overwhelmed him. He could focus on nothing, except the half of his soul he hadn't heard in so long, and his wife feeling the same thing.

Everything melted away from him as the ritual continued.

The second the magic that loosened it's grip on him, he gathered Caroline in his arms and left Elijah to deal with the mess.

He didn't recall breaking down the front door, but he did know that both Caroline and Elijah later berated him for it. Kol called once he heard and laughed at him for some time. Klaus hung up, only for Rebekah to call and tell him he was a "neanderthal masquerading as a gentleman" immediately after.

It was none of those things that he would never forget, though.

What he would never forget was the kiss he gave Caroline as soon as they'd fallen into bed. Double fangs bit into lips and tongues battled, catching on the incisors. Caroline moaned and it devolved into a growl that made Klaus's eyes flash golden.

She flipped them, sitting on his hips in a very familiar way.

Her lips dragged down then tendon in his next, stopping to suck hickies onto his skin. His hips jerked up, pressing his erection against her core. "Stop that," she murmured in between kisses.

Then her fangs pierced his carotid and he couldn't help his hips rolling again and again.

His hand came up to rest on the back of her head, cradling it to his neck. His other arm wrapped around her waist, hand sneaking up her shirt to touch warm skin. "Mmm, Caroline."

She pulled away, disengaging her fangs a little clumsily. "C'mon, Nik, do it with me."

Klaus could never deny her anything, not really. His head ducked below her chin, biting into her artery with the same passion she showed. Seconds later, she returned her fangs to his neck.

Over their years, she'd explained more about life-mates. They were wolves who were extremely compatible; mates would be loyal to each other until they were both dead. They couldn't be separated for too long, or both would die. They had a connection most wolves, who usually never found a life-mate, were envious of. He and Caroline, she explained, were meant to be from the moment she was born (her being the younger one). When life-mates had sex, they were connecting on a level normal people, normal wolves, couldn't.

Further, wolves didn't bloodshare, but vampires did. Bloodsharing was very intimate, almost like the vampire version of werewolf marking.

When blood was flowing between them, euphoria unlike any he'd ever known before washed over him. He could feel her in a way he had never imagined possible. Her emotions lit up like fireworks in his chest. He could hear her wolf braying, over and over.

' _Wifewifewife_ ', his mind called. Deep inside himself, his wolf was howling, ' _matematemate_ '.

He flipped them again, gently to make sure they stayed in place. Unable to help himself, he ripped her shirt down the front.

Her fangs disengaged with a gasp, "Klaus!" He pulled away, too. They'd bloodshared many times, but he had decided with just this one time that he didn't want it to be one-sided ever again. Why would he, when he could be connecting with her, his wife, his _mate_ , in a whole new way?

In what he imagined was her way of reprimanding him, she shredded his own shirt so it slipped off his shoulders easily. She pushed him so he fell onto his back, head almost falling off the bed. She laid in between his legs, tongue licking his abs within seconds. His erection was in between her breasts, her nails digging into an asscheek.

He was in heaven. There was no way he wasn't - he was whole again, his wife was worshipping his body, there were no annoying siblings running around underfoot. Caroline unbuttoned his jeans and pulled him out, only making him more sure.

Her hair was caught on his fingers, gently holding her head down. Her tongue glided over his cock; he moaned at the feeling. Then, because Caroline Mikaelson was a goddess sent to kill him, she let her fangs just barely graze his length.

He wanted to pull her away, wanted to lick her to an orgasm until his juices covered his own fangs. She knew him well, though, and hunkered down on his body, sucking the tip, then the entire shaft down her throat.

"Oh my gods," he groaned, throwing his head back. She swallowed around him, and his hips jerked. She pressed down, holding him; any other time, and the switching of their usual positions would have amused him. He was far too occupied for amusement, though.

She pulled off, pressing kisses to the shaft after a moment. He looked down, catching her eyes. His hand had made her perfectly curled hair a mess, and blood lingered at the corners of her puffy mouth. He felt like he could bust from the sight alone. Then, because she truly was trying to kill him, she sucked him down again, not letting their eyes stray. She repeated the action several times, swallowing around him.

"Fuck, Caroline…."

It took no time at all for him to tug at her hair in warning. She pulled away so just the tip was in her mouth, and he came. She swallowed every drop.

She sat up on her knees while he panted and came down, pulled off her bra. Her nipples dragged against his skin as she moved up his body to kiss him.

Their lips pressed together deliciously. Blood and come, not his favorite taste in the world, but on her, it could have been ambrosia.

Her fingernails dug into his shoulders as he flipped them again.

This time, it was him pressing kisses down her chest and laving at certain parts. Her breasts were one of his favorite parts of her body, and he made sure she knew.

Her back arched, fingers tugged at his hair. "Klaus," she whimpered. She mumbled, "I want you lower."

"What?" He asked, a pert nipple between his teeth.

She rolled her eyes at his teasing tone, even as her hips jerked. As clearly as she could, she said, "I want your tongue somewhere else."

"Oh? Where?"

"Klaus!" She complained. When he just kept suckling and teasing her, she sighed heavily. Her feet pushed at his waist, until he relented and stopped face to face with her belly button.

"Oh, you wanted me here," he murmured, sliding his tongue along the rim.

Her fingers tugged his hair sharply. Again, she pushed him down with her feet. He let her, knowing that she was still too shy to simply tell him she wanted him to eat her out. Her modesty was precious, it truly was. A thousand years together and she couldn't say, 'I want you to lick my pussy until I come.'

"Here?" He asked once she'd moved him to the apex of her thighs.

"Yes."

Klaus dragged her jeans down, taking her panties with them. Once they were off, he knew just what she liked - his fingers gently stroked her labia, making her whimper. He opened her up like a present, gentling licking circles around her clit.

"Nik," she moaned beautifully, hips bucking as he kissed and sucked. "Keep doing that."

He did so love how vocal she was. She loved that he loved it, because he would do anything to get her to make those sounds. His wolf, he was realizing, saw the noises as an achievement. If she was so verbally pleased, then he was doing something right.

He employed his fingers, slipping one in, then two. He curled them, massaging her insides, singling out her g-spot that he'd found many years ago.

He kept her hips down with the other hand; if he didn't, she would be bucking too hard for him to get anything done. Still, every time he pistoned his fingers in and out, sucking on her clit, she arched her hips up. The sight was beautiful.

She was coming within minutes, loudly. She clenched around his fingers and her juices got all over his face and hand. His wolf preened at the thought of making his mate so happy.

He pulled himself up, immediately being pulled into a kiss. He moaned when he felt her double fangs bite down on his bottom lip. He was definitely hard again.

Her toes pushed his jeans down farther; he wiggled out of them and kicked them off. As soon as he was back over her, her hand reached down to hold him steady. He pushed into her with ease born of a lot of experience. Of course, he only had experience with her. He'd never been truly tempted to have sex with anyone but Caroline, his wife, his life-mate. No woman, no person period, could ever compare to her.

She was just as tight as she was their first time, just as tactile. She wrapped her limbs around him, one hand in his hair, one on his ass.

He thrusted into her, skin slapping. Every time he was to the hilt inside her, she let out a gasped, sharp "ah!" He pressed kisses up her jawline, licked at the sweat gathering at the base of her neck.

Caroline returned the favor breathlessly, rolling her hips.

He changed their position, so he pistoned into Caroline, hitting that spot inside her. Her back arched, head thrown back, breasts bouncing with every thrust and every gasp.

He couldn't help himself - her neck called to him, blood thumping enticingly. He leaned down, biting her gently. He loved eating messily, loved ripping through skin, but not with her. Never with her.

Her eyes closed in bliss, her mouth rounded out into an 'o'. Her forehead fell to his shoulder.

It took her no time at all to bite him back, sealing them into their connection again. She only broke it to moan loudly, clenching around him like a vice. He loved the feeling, reveled in it.

' _Matematemate_ ' he thought when he came.

 **[...]**

When they lay in bed together that night, he rested his head over her heart. It beat in time with his own, strong and reassuring. As children, they sometimes slept next to each other. The sound filled him with contentment then, and it did now.

Caroline purred contentedly, stretching out under him.

"We should do that again," he decided, a sly edge to his voice.

She smiled widely, remembering a night many years ago. "Right now?"

"Great idea, love."


End file.
